Renowned as one of the most famous and beautiful glens in
Scotland, Glencoe
is also notoriously well-known as one
of Scotland’s battlegrounds—site of the tragic
massacre of the MacDonald clan 13 February 1692 by forces representing King William
III following the Glorious
Revolution.
History
Officially called GlenCoe (the glen through which runs the River
Coe), the lands
were owned by the Clans
MacDonald since the 14th century when they supported King
Robert the Bruce. But when King
William came to the throne, many of the highlanders still swore allegiance to
the deposed Scottish
King James VII. These highlanders
were known as Jacobites.
 |
| Glencoe Massacre Memorial |
All the Scottish clan chiefs were ordered by the Secretary
of State John Dalrymple to swear allegiance to the English crown by 1
January 1692. The MacDonalds, who still
supported the return of King James, held out, but eventually, with time running
out on the deadline, received news from James in exile in France to honor the
new order only days before the deadline.
As luck would have it, a terrible winter storm kept the
clan chieftain from reaching Fort William until December 31, only one day short
of the deadline. Here he was told that
the oath must be taken by a sheriff 60 miles away, and a series of unfortunate
events hindered him even further.
Unbeknownst to the MacDonald clan, their fate had already
been sealed by Dalrymple, who orchestrated the coming massacre. Soldiers from the Campbell clan arrived in
Glencoe as friends seeking shelter, but had been instructed by Dalrymple to
slaughter all MacDonalds under age 70.
 |
| Inscription on Memorial |
Honoring the Highland code, the MacDonalds gave shelter in
their homes to the Campbells for 12 days, until the wee hours of February 13
when the systematic massacre began. By
morning 38 men, women, and children lay dead including the clan chief. Many of those who escaped died of exposure from
the winter weather in the mountains. A
few of the Campbell soldiers gave warning to their host families and broke
their swords, refusing to participate in the atrocity.
The Jacobites in Edinburgh were enraged, an inquiry was
held and declared the affair an act of murder forcing Dalrymple to resign, but
not until 1695…and the event passed into legend in Scottish history.
For an in-depth 7-part video series on the massacre,
watch “The Murder of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe.” Here is Part 1 (9:48). Simply search YouTube for this title and
select the remaining parts to view. Each
segment is about 9 minutes long.
In poetry, enjoy T.S. Elliot’s Rannoch,
by Glencoe or Douglas Alexander Stewart’s Glencoe.
The 300-year-old
document still exists that mandated the massacre and is housed in the
National Library of Scotland. Hear the
chilling document read
here.
Natural Beauty
Today, few people inhabit the glen except for those in the
village
of Glencoe which sits at the western entrance to the glen and features a visitor
center maintained by the National
Trust for Scotland hosting a 15-minute video highlighting the 1692 massacre,
as well as exhibits on the natural beauty, wildlife, and history of the
area.
 |
| Glencoe, Scotland |
The u-shaped glen was formed by an ice age glacier and is
surrounded by spectacular mountains which are a haven for hikers, walkers and
rock/ice climbers. The valley is 10
miles long but less than a half mile wide as mountains rise sharply on all
sides up to 3,000 feet such Buchaille
Etive Mor, the huge mountain seen as you enter the glen from the bleak
expanse of Rannoch
Moor.
The magnificent scenic drive through the area will
feature high mountain peaks, ridges, rushing rivers, lochs, and mystical
waterfalls. Of note is the Devil’s
Staircase, the Three Sisters, the Aonach
Eagach, and 8
Munros.
Enjoy this scenic video journey through “Beautiful Scotland - Glencoe” (8:29).
Modern Culture
The pristine beauty and unpolluted air of Glencoe has
been a draw to film
makers for over 70 years. Many
scenes from Braveheart
and Rob
Roy were filmed in Glencoe.
The area was used as the home of Hagrid in the filming of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and in the James Bond movie Skyfall. It is noted in the Ian Fleming novels as the birthplace of James Bond’s father, Andrew Bond.
 |
| Hagrid's hut from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
No comments:
Post a Comment